


the feline quandary

by WishingTree



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F, Gen, i have nothing to say here just, it started as a joke and that's all i have to say on that, okay, thirteen gets turned into a cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 13:53:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16535819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishingTree/pseuds/WishingTree
Summary: Yaz’s eyes are wide, and after a beat she cautiously moves to stick her head around the pillar and sees… a cat. There’s a cat sitting on the TARDIS console. She doesn’t know how or why, but somehow sheknowsthat she’s staring at the Doctor.As a cat.And that’s the precise moment Yaz realizes they’re in a little bit of a predicament.





	the feline quandary

It’s the middle of the night when the TARDIS is suddenly rocked by a massive tremor, waking Yaz from what had really been a very nice dream. She’s on her feet before her eyes open, body ready even though her mind is not, and after taking a moment to shake herself awake, she gets ready to move.

Stumbling out of her room in pyjamas, Yaz hurries to get to the main console room, keeping one hand on the wall and blinking blearily down at her feet. It isn’t the first time they’ve been given this type of rude awakening, but the worry never fades until she makes sure that it’s just the Doctor’s standard terrible flying as the cause. 

Everything looks normal as she reaches the main console room, calm and quiet as she heads down the stairs towards the centre console, and she exhales and exchanges a relieved smile with Ryan and Graham who have just appeared from another hallway.

Except then there comes a small meow, and they all freeze.

Yaz’s eyes are wide, and after a beat she cautiously moves to stick her head around the pillar and sees… a cat.

There’s a cat sitting on the TARDIS console.

She’s fluffy and alert, ears twitching this way and that, and Yaz doesn’t know how or why, but she somehow _knows_  that she’s staring at the Doctor.

As a cat.

And that’s the precise moment Yaz realizes they’re in a little bit of a predicament.

“Doctor?” she whispers hesitantly, just to be sure, and when the Doctor swivels her head to look at her, Yaz bites back a laugh.

“Aw,” she coos despite herself as she approaches, “You’re fluffy.” 

The Doctor gives her a look and meows aggressively, stretching out her paws and then standing up with her head tilted. She’s facing the TARDIS and leans forward to headbutt the crystal pillar in the middle of the console, and then the TARDIS lights up and starts whirring.

The Doctor meows even more aggressively, flattening her ears against her head, and in response the TARDIS starts beeping and flashing random lights every time the Doctor makes a sound.

“Is she arguing with the TARDIS?” Ryan whispers behind her, and Yaz bites back a laugh even as her head starts to throb. She really hasn’t been getting enough sleep lately, not with all their life threatening adventures, and this much action while she’s still half–asleep isn’t sitting well with her.

“Is the TARDIS arguing back, is the question,” Graham answers, clearly enjoying himself, and Yaz squints at the scene in front of her, trying to keep track of both the Doctor and the TARDIS. She doesn’t know why, seeing as she can’t speak either cat or spaceship, but soon it gets to be too much.

“Alright, shut it, the both of you!” Yaz rubs her forehead, “It’s the middle of the night, we’re all supposed to be asleep!” 

Both the TARDIS and the Doctor fall silent, though the Doctor hangs her head and takes a delicate step towards Yaz, stopping at the edge of the console table and chirruping apologetically. 

It’s enough to lift her mood, and Yaz hurriedly scrubs her hands over her face before sighing. “I’m sorry, good now. Bit grumpy is all.” 

The doctor meows again, lifting a foot to paw at the air in front of her, and when that achieves nothing she turns back to face the console.

“She… she’s trying to fly the TARDIS,” Yaz says in surprise, watching the determined way the Doctor is padding around. The engines begin to thrum, the familiar feeling of the TARDIS preparing to do more than hover in the Time Vortex, but the ever-present discomfort of unstable flight doesn’t come.

“Oi, is it just me, or is she actually better at this now than when she’s a person?” 

At that, the Doctor stops pacing and hisses, giving Graham such a dirty look Yaz can almost hear her indignant rambling. She eventually falls silent, swishing her tail back and forth, and then she stands and walks over the console again, deliberately stomping around and swiping at every button and lever she can reach with her paws.

The reaction is immediate, the ship lurching to the side and beginning to spin, and Yaz and Ryan simultaneously yell, “Graham!” 

Yaz darts forwards and picks up the cat, craning her neck away to avoid getting swiped at. She doesn’t think the Doctor would actually scratch her on purpose, but she isn’t taking any chances in case her claws are out.

“Sorry, Doctor,” Yaz hastily tells her, closing one eye and hazarding a couple pats on her head, “But we can’t have you sending us to god knows where while you’re – well, while you’re a cat.” 

“What do you reckon happened?” Ryan asks, coming closer.

“I dunno,” Yaz leans down to set the Doctor back on the floor, hopefully sending her the message that she isn’t to get back on top of the console, “She ever mention anything that could turn people into cats?” 

They’re doing their best to come up with possible explanations, each guess more ridiculous than the last, and then Yaz becomes aware of the sound of something small hitting the floor, automatically turning her head.

The Doctor is standing under the custard cream dispenser, both front paws on the pedal and lifting herself up so she can fall back and press it down hard enough to get a cookie, and judging by the small piles scattered around her, she’s quite good at it.

When she sees Yaz looking, her face almost seems to break into a broad grin and she drops back down to the floor. Her head is raised proudly, obviously expecting some kind of praise, and when none comes she lets out a little yowl and moves over to the closest custard cream.

“Can – can cats eat those?” Yaz asks worriedly, already up and darting over to the Doctor, Ryan right behind her.

“I dunno, I haven’t got a cat! Me nan was allergic!”

Graham is pressing at the TARDIS controls, probably trying to find something that will support Google, and Yaz grabs for the Doctor again, blowing out a breath when she manages to snag her around the stomach.

“You’re getting into too much trouble,” she scolds, hefting her up, and the Doctor only purrs contently, rubbing her head against Yaz’s forearm. Yaz scratches her behind the ear, smiling softly, and then she lifts her head to cast a look at the mess lying around the TARDIS floor. “Here, Ryan, take her while I clear this up.”

She passes off the cat, surprised when the Doctor immediately starts wriggling so violently Ryan can only hold her for a few seconds before she’s back on the floor.

“Why does she only hold still for you?” he asks, offended, and Yaz gives him a look.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she mumbles distractedly, eyeing the Doctor, “You probably just weren’t doing it right or something.”

Clearly the Doctor sees her coming this time and isn’t too keen to be picked up again, because she hops playfully and then jumps away, out of her reach. The game of tag lasts longer than Yaz would be proud to admit, but then the Doctor suddenly freezes, wide eyes fixed on a point on the floor. Yaz sighs in relief, and then she realizes that what she’s looking at is a little red dot, as if from a laser pointer.

“No,” she whispers, “She wouldn’t…” 

Evidently, she would.

The Doctor pounces, now moving much faster than before, and the very first thing she does is collide head–on with the wall, leaving Yaz wincing. The Doctor shakes it off easily and goes streaking across the console room, darting between Graham’s legs much to his alarm and taking off down the stairs to a lower level they haven’t actually explored much. Apparently, Yaz is going to be exploring it now.

There’s a rattle and another crash, and Yaz runs down the stairs after the cat. She finds her pouncing back and forth, intently focused on the red dot, and Yaz sighs. Following the beam of light with her eyes, Yaz finally figures out that it’s the TARDIS shining the light around, and judging by the delighted sounds it’s emitting, the ship is having a grand old time at the Doctor’s expense, leading her around the room.

“Okay,” she whispers, slowly approaching with her hands out, “Okay, Doctor, you’re a cat, but I can still do… this!” She grabs her up, this time successfully, and Yaz quickly hugs her close in an effort to calm her before she can start wriggling again like she had done to Ryan.

Surprisingly, the Doctor relaxes into her instantaneously, purring and rubbing her head against Yaz’s chin.

“Seems she likes you,” Graham comments wryly from where he’s leaning against the railing on the steps, and the Doctor turns and hisses at him. He recoils, holding his hands up and saying, “Okay, alright, you win Doc! Won’t say another word.” 

Yaz makes her way back up to the main console room, careful not to disturb the Doctor who has apparently made herself very comfortable, and when she gets there she finds them both with expressions of unmitigated glee on their faces.

“What,” she asks suspiciously, narrowing her eyes as she runs her hand down the Doctor’s back.

“Nothin’,” Ryan says innocently, and then he starts backing away, slapping at Graham’s arm as he goes, “Just, you know, it’s late and all, so time for everyone to head back to bed, yeah? Night, Yaz.” 

And then they both turn and flee down the wrong hallway, leaving Yaz to stare after them.

“Hmm,” she bites her lip and looks down at the Doctor. The cat has her eyes closed and she’s purring underneath her hand, and Yaz shrugs. “Guess you’re coming with me then,” she tells her, turning to head towards her own bedroom.

She kicks the door shut behind her and lets the Doctor down on her bed, watching her take a few experimental steps and knead at the blanket, and when she looks up with a pleased expression on her face, Yaz smiles back and scratches behind her ear.

“Hope you can sleep,” she says dryly as she switches off her lamp and gets into bed. She pulls the blanket up and gets comfortable, and then lets out a surprised breath when the Doctor steps directly onto her stomach. The Doctor doesn’t falter, walking over her, and then she curls up on Yaz’s chest, circling once before tucking her tail around herself and settling down. She meows just once, very softly, and then nudges her head under Yaz’s chin, soft but insistent before finally stilling, her little body a comforting weight.

Yaz puts a hand on her back and closes her eyes, and that soothing feeling is the last thing she feels as she slips into sleep.

 

 

 

Several hours later, Yaz wakes up to find the Doctor – human–shaped Doctor – draped over her body, hair a complete mess and clothes in a disarray. She yelps, trying to jerk upright, and the motion startles the Doctor.

“Wha – What’ve we got!” She scrambles to her feet, standing in the middle of Yaz’s mattress with her arms spread at her sides, and Yaz can only laugh, relief flooding her. It’s also overwhelming the strange feeling she has growing in her chest, the one that had bloomed when she realized the Doctor was the one pressed to her, and she’s grateful for it even though she doesn’t know why.

“Oh,” the Doctor lowers her arms, looking around one last time before hopping down and dropping back onto the mattress. “Sorry, Yaz. Morning.”

“‘Lo,” Yaz smiles sheepishly, wondering if she’s going to have to explain to the Doctor what had happened last night to have her end up here. Luckily, she’s saved the trouble when the Doctor beams at her and bounces to her feet.

“So I was a cat last night! Was I a cat last night? I think I was a cat last night.” She looks at Yaz for confirmation, and then she nods in satisfaction. “Splendid. I’ve never been a cat before!”

Yaz laughs, and the Doctor grins at the sound, stretching her neck out and ruffling her hair, “Well, I suppose I’ll be spitting up cat hair for the next little while, but that’s alright! Worse things could happen. Quite a comfy bed you’ve got here, Yaz! I might have to make the TARDIS reconfigure my own to match.” 

“You could…” Yaz starts to offer, but immediately snaps her mouth shut, feeling her cheeks flushing. “I mean… you could just… stay here sometimes, if you wanted?” 

The Doctor perks up. “You mean that? Brilliant!” She leans over and presses a quick kiss to Yaz’s cheek, not even bothering to fix her hair as she spins around and runs out of the room yelling something about business to attend to with the TARDIS, and Yaz stays exactly where she is, dazed. She lifts a trembling to touch her fingers to her cheek, and then her face splits into a smile so wide it hurts.

She really ought to figure out what had turned the Doctor into a cat and thank them.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm.............thought it was funny if a cat could fly the TARDIS better than the Doctor and then....this whatever


End file.
